mp3: "Renovations" - Harmony Woods

It can be heard in those introductory guitar plucks: this is a song about absolute heartbreak. “Jenkintown-Wyncote,” the first single from Harmony Woods’ forthcoming debut, was a celebration of anticipatory excitement; the frantic energy that rattles through our bones when we look brightly to the future. "Renovations" harnesses that energy and channels it into the dissolution of a relationship. It's looking through that same glass, darkly. Sofia Verbilla's voice is tragically stoic, emotion pouring out at a controlled measure, like water working its way around a levee. "How do you know / When it's the right time to go?" Verbilla asks as the guitar's pained chord progression marches onward.

"I tried to build a home in you / But the foundation was overlooked" Verbilla croons in an anguished falsetto as the instruments lazily flicker in and out of the mix. The track builds heat as the percussion springs to life and a palm-muted guitar finally unleashes some distorted power chords. "I can’t tell what’s worse: you leaving in the night or never leaving at all,” Verbilla sings with a sincerity that is both heartbreaking and inspiring. This is great breakup music. It has the pathos to be believable, but also features an unmistakable light at the end of that long, tumultuous road to feeling okay again.